Bill Redpath of the LP Speaks Out

The days after Election Day are never a fun time for Libertarians. Let’s face it, we work as hard as we can over a long period of time all for one single day, and when the votes have been cast and counted, our success seems to be as far away as ever.

I wish I had some amazing story to share with you of a miracle “big” win for the LP but I don’t as we probably both know that there is no such thing. We have to work for every vote and there is no silver bullet for electoral success.

But there are significant signs of progress . . .

This year, well over 700 Libertarians ran for office! We saw victories at the local level in at least Alaska, California, Indiana, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

In Texas, we witnessed something amazing happen. Due to the very hard work of the Texas LP, 168 of our candidates were on the ballot. These candidates significantly increased vote percentages and of state and federal candidates, 22 of them received over 20% of the vote. The last time a Libertarian candidate broke 20% in Texas was in 1992!

Other successes include maintaining ballot access in many states including California, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Those victories will save the LP hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for 2008!

Over the weekend, our executive director, Shane Cory, told me a story from last week in which a reporter called him for comment on our election results. The reporter stated that in Montana our U.S. Senate Candidate, Stan Jones, beat the margin and it can be said that the Libertarian Party was responsible for the Republicans losing the Senate. Shane was asked if we “felt bad” about that. . .

Now, I’m sure we would all have different responses to that question ranging from sheer laughter to rage.

Shane’s response was simple and somewhat diplomatic. He stated, “No, maybe if the Republicans learned how to govern better, we wouldn’t take so many of their votes.”

But this question being asked proves a point on its own: the Libertarian Party is becoming more effective. Soon, we’ll be seeing more instances of Republicans AND Democrats moving public policy in a libertarian direction in order to capture the Libertarian vote.

That’s why every election cycle, regardless of the depth of our victories, is important to the LP and our nation.

In 2007, we will be focusing on local and state elections while we prepare for the 2008 presidential season. Without a doubt, the work that we do in 2007 is vital to our progress in 2008.

This past weekend, the Libertarian National Committee met in Alexandria, Virginia to establish a budget for 2007. After a great deal of deliberation, a core budget was approved for $1,693,000.

This new budget includes $250,000 for ballot access drives across the nation along with $150,000 for vital voter data for the LP Ballot Base that was launched this year. Additionally, it includes $186,000 for membership building efforts and new fundraising tools.

In addition to setting our budget at this LNC meeting, we first established our goals for the term of this LNC board. One of the top goals was to meet our reserve requirement (something that we have only been able to achieve briefly in April of 2004). In a nutshell, this means that we pledge to be fiscally responsible. If we demand as much from Congress, we should be able to set the example.

We have high expectations for 2007 as we know that if we expect to make progress in 2008, we have to do the work now.

One of the most important ways that you can help the Libertarian Party meet its goals and make progress is by starting a monthly, reoccurring donation with the LP if you haven’t already done so.

How it works is you click here, fill out the form, choose your monthly donation amount and that’s it. Your donation of $10, $25, $50 or more will be automatically charged at the beginning of each month. Also, you’re under no obligation and may cancel your gift at any time by calling LPHQ or sending them an e-mail.

In 2006, our monthly donors will have generated over $320,000 in revenue for the LP! They have also saved us many thousands of dollars more in renewal notices and other solicitations.

Personally, I have been a monthly donor to the LP since 1989, starting with a gift of $10 per month. I ask that you join me and the 1,200 others who are part of this program by clicking here.

We have a great deal of work to do in 2007 and it all starts with generating the funding to accomplish our goals.

I appreciate your consideration and time and look forward to serving as your Chairman during this time of growth for the LP.